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Minutes of a meeting of the Cabinet |
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held on Friday 10 November 2023at 10.30 am
in Meeting Room 1, Abbey House, Abbey Close, Abingdon, OX14 3JE
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Open to the public, including the press |
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Present in the meeting room: |
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Cabinet members: Councillors Bethia Thomas (Chair), Mark Coleman (Vice-Chair), Sue Caul, Andy Crawford, Debra Dewhurst, Lucy Edwards, Neil Fawcett, Andy Foulsham, Diana Lugova and Helen Pighills |
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Officers: Steve Culliford (Democratic Services Team Leader) and Simon Hewings (Head of Finance)
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Remote attendance: Officers: Andrew Busby (Head of Development and Corporate Landlord), Jeremy Lloyd (Broadcasting Officer), Suzanne Malcolm (Deputy Chief Executive – Place), Mark Minion (Head of Corporate Services), Tim Oruye (Head of Policy and Programmes), and Adrianna Partridge (Deputy Chief Executive – Transformation and Operations) Guests: Councillor Katherine Foxhall |
36. Apologies for absence
None
37. Minutes
RESOLVED: to approve the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 29 September 2023 as a correct record and agree that the Chair signs them as such.
38. Declarations of interests
None
39. Urgent business and chair's announcements
None
40. Public participation
Mr John Salmons asked a question of the Leader, Councillor Bethia Thomas, regarding the Climate Action Plan Performance Report. He referred to the council’s plan to use electric vehicles in future for the grounds maintenance service and the waste collection service and the vehicle charging infrastructure this would require. The council was also looking for a new waste depot site. Instead of using the same depot for both services, the council planned to use a separate site at Great Western Park in Didcot for its grounds maintenance service. He asked whether the option of the grounds maintenance service using the new waste depot electric vehicle charging facilities been explored, and if not, why not?
The Leader undertook to provide a written response in consultation with the Cabinet member and officers.
41. Recommendations and updates from other committees
Cabinet received updates from the Joint Audit and Governance Committee and the Scrutiny Committee. These were published on the council’s website. No recommendations were made to Cabinet.
Councillor Katherine Foxhall, the Scrutiny Committee Chair, spoke to the comments made by the committee at its meeting on 2 November. The committee had appreciated the comprehensive reports and the work being carried out. The teams had taken away the committee’s comments to consider the suggestions made, with the aim of publicising the good work being undertaken and continue to provide the best services.
42. Corporate Performance Report and Climate Action Plan Performance Report - Quarter 1, 2023/24
Cabinet considered the Corporate Performance Report and the Climate Action Plan Performance Report for the first quarter of 2023/24.
The Cabinet member for corporate services, policy and programmes welcomed the reports, believing that they were a good reflection of the council’s ambition and transparency in performance reporting. He hoped that the reports could be shortened in future, reducing the time for compilation and publication. He thanked officers for their work on these reports.
Cabinet members agreed, believing that the reports showed the council’s success, such as in providing homes. Members asked that in future the performance reports provided the affordable housing figure into the different types of housing. Also, members called for the reports to be written in plain English for a public audience, avoiding technical terms.
RESOLVED: to note the Corporate Performance Report and the Climate Action Plan Performance Report from quarter 1, 2023/24.
43. Treasury Management Outturn 2022/23
Cabinet considered the head of finance’s report on the treasury management outturn for 2022/23.
The Cabinet member for finance highlighted the performance of the treasury management function during the year, which had exceeded expectations due to high interest rates bringing increased income to the council. He reported that the Joint Audit and Governance Committee had also considered the report and was satisfied that the treasury activities have been carried out in accordance with the treasury management strategy and policy.
In answer to a question by members, the Cabinet member for finance reported that this council was not putting itself at risk by loaning funds to other councils. If the council lent funds, the other council was legally obliged to settle its debts. This arrangement was also backed by the government.
RESOLVED:
(a) to note the treasury management outturn report 2022/23;
(b) that Cabinet is satisfied that the treasury activities have been carried out in accordance with the treasury management strategy and policy;
RECOMMENDEDto Council to:
(c) to approve the treasury management outturn report 2022/23 to Cabinet on 10 November 2023; and
(d) approve the actual 2022/23 prudential indicators within the report.
44. Budget Monitoring April to June 2023
Cabinet considered the head of finance’s report on budget monitoring for the period April to June 2023, being the first quarter of 2023/24.
The Cabinet member for finance reported that revenue spend would be closely monitored throughout the year. Also, the capital programme was currently under review.
RESOLVED: to note the budget monitoring report for the period April to June 2023.